"It's the Easter Beagle Charlie Brown" (8:00-8:30 p.m.)
ABC's annual broadcast of "It's the Easter Beagle Charlie Brown" surged year to year by 11% in Total Viewers (4.9 million vs. 4.4 million) and by 17% in Adults 18-49 (1.4/5 vs. 1.2/3).

"The Middle" (8:30-9:00 p.m.)

Surging from its lead-in at 8:30 p.m. by 36%, ABC's "The Middle" finished No. 2 in its time slot among Adults 18-49 (1.9/6-tie). The ABC freshman comedy also took second in the half-hour with Adults 25-54 and Men 18-34.

"Modern Family" (9:00-9:30 p.m.)

Opposite Fox's "American Idol" at 9:00 p.m., ABC's "Modern Family" built on its lead-in by a best-ever 100% to finish as the No. 1 scripted show in its time slot for its 6th week in a row among Adults 18-49 (3.8/11). Also in the half-hour, the ABC freshman comedy finished in a virtual-tie with "American Idol" as the No. 1 program among Men 18-34 (2.9/11 vs. 3.0/11).

� "Modern Family" qualified as Wednesday's No. 1 scripted TV show in young Adults (AD18-34/AD18-49) for its 7th consecutive original broadcast.

� Growing its overall audience for its 3rd original airing, "Modern Family" marked its most-watched telecast (9.3 million) and equaled its highest Adult 18-49 rating in 7 weeks � since 2/10/10. In fact the show drew its 2nd largest-audience-ever against "Idol."

"Cougar Town" (9:30-10:00 p.m.)

Airing against a surging "American Idol," ABC freshman "Cougar Town" stood as the No. 1 scripted show at 9:30 p.m. for the 2nd straight week in Adults 18-49 (2.6/7).

A note about increasing DVR penetration and year-to-year rating comparisons: Year-to-year rating comparisons based on the Live + Same Day data stream are distorted by the level of DVR penetration in the Nielsen sample, which has jumped up to 36% currently, from 30% at the same point in 2009. More viewers are watching shows on their own timetables, which may not be reflected in the overnight next day numbers. The only truly valid year-to-year comparison would be one based on the Live + 7 Day metric, once those stats are released by Nielsen.

Source: Nielsen Media Research (Fast Affiliate, Live + Same Day Ratings), 3/31/10.